Obituary of Samuel Griffith Merrill, 1928, Crawford County, AR ************************************************************************ Submitted by: Stanley C Thornton Date: 19 Aug 2001 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************************************ Southwest American Newspaper, Dec 22 1928, News of Van Buren Column Funeral Service for S. G. Merrill to be Saturday Former Van Buren Business Man Dies at His Home Thursday Night Funeral Services for Samuel Griffith Merrill, 68 years old, life long resident of Van Buren, will be held Saturday afternoon at 3 o'clock at the family residence, 321 North Eleventh street. Dr. W. B. Miller, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, will conduct the service. Members of the Cedar camp, Woodmen of the World, of which Mr. Merrill was a member, will attend the funeral. Mr. Merrill was a member of the First Presbyterian chuch. He was for a number of years owner and operator of a meat market. Mr. Merrill's health had been failing for the last year. It was only within the last five weeks, however, that his condition became critical. His death was due indirectly to a fracture of the bone of the leg, received more than a month ago while Mr. Merrill was attending a football game. One of the players accidentally ran against him. In the fall the leg was broken. Mr. Merrill was born in Van Buren, July 17, 1860. He was the son of a pioneer family of Crawford county. He was married 48 years ago to Miss Amanda Smith, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alvis Smith, and a descendant of another old family of Crawford county. She survives him. Other surviving relatives are three sons and three daughters. They are Charles Merrill, Leo Merrill, of Fort Smith, and Westley Merrill of Houston, Texas. Mrs George Sengel Jr., Fort Smith, Mrs Fred Swicegood, Crane, Texas, Mrs. Virgil Coleman, Van Buren. Another daughter, Mrs Will McKown, died four years ago. He also leaves nine grandchildren, one great-grandchild, a number of nieces and nephews, three brothers and two sisters. The brothers and sisters are Len S. Merrill of Van Buren, Harry Merrill, Little Rock, Arthur Merrill Okmulgee, OK, Mrs. Hill McKinney, Okmulgee, OK, and Mrs J. W. Watkins, Van Buren. Mr. Merrill's grandson, Merrill Sengel and Mrs. Snegel of Houston, Texas have come to attend the funeral, and Mrs. Swicegood is en route here.